Children of the Lamp

Did You Know?

• In 2007 DreamWorks acquired the rights for a film adaptation to be produced by Nina Jacobson, but the film was never produced after the release of the final book.
• A critic Matt Berman stated that the author would need to learn that different rules apply for children's fiction, with different pacing and a need for warm passion over cool detachment.
• Kirkus Reviews described the book as 'Solidly entertaining despite jokes that try a little too hard.'

The series

John and Philippa Gaunt are twelve-year-old twins living in New York with their gifted mother, kind father, and two dogs that are not what they appear. Their wisdom teeth all emerge at once, and during an operation to remove them, the twins share a dream in which their uncle Nimrod summons them to London and reveals they are djinn. Their adventures take them from Cairo to London, using pink Ferraris and riding camels, as they train to use their newfound powers. They battle the evil Ifrit tribe of djinn and its leader Iblis, striving to preserve the balance of good and bad luck in the world and to free seventy ancient djinn. After returning from their first adventures, a powerful book of djinn magic called Solomon's Grimoire goes missing, luring the twins into a new quest that takes them from New York City to Istanbul, Berlin, and Budapest. A trap awaits, and John must save his sister from eternal hard-heartedness. In their third adventure, after their friend Dybbuk Sachertorte sends an email pleading for help, the twins travel to snowy Kathmandu in Nepal, where they face the ultimate test of their djinn powers amid fiery magic, midnight intruders, and murder by snakebite.

Use of djinn power in the series

Djinn derive their power from luck or fate, acting as guardians of luck. Those who promote good luck combat those who promote bad luck. Every wish granted costs a djinn a portion of their life force, shortening their lifespan, and the energy lost cannot be regained. Older djinn lose more force. Djinn are immune to fire and cannot be burned or killed by it. When using their power, they must picture and think about what they intend to do. Djinn cannot bring back the dead, affect the flow of time, create copies of themselves, or generally undo another djinn's spells.

Characters

Philippa Gaunt is the twin of John Gaunt. She is shorter, has red hair and glasses like her father, and prefers to be called Phil. She is described as the more intellectual twin and, like her brother, is claustrophobic and dislikes loud noises. John Gaunt is tall and dark, previously pimply, and panics more than Philippa in claustrophobic situations. He dislikes vegetables, is athletic, and gained strength in the second book to physically fight a bully. Dybbuk Sachertorte, who goes by Buck, is a djinn friend of the twins. His mother is Doctor Sachertorte, who helps the twins recover from an illness. He joins them on adventures in The Cobra King of Kathmandu, enjoys treasure hunts and old war movies, and lives in Palm Springs, California, with his mother and pet coyote Colin. He is romantically interested in Philippa. Nimrod Plantagenet Godwin is the powerful djinn uncle of the twins and de facto leader of the Marid. He enjoys the color red, dislikes jade and rubies, is often seen with a cigar, and can create shapes from cigar smoke that become real. His companion is Mr. Rakshasas, kept in his pocket. Mr. Harry Groanin is Nimrod's one-armed butler who freed Nimrod from confinement and won three wishes. After wasting his first two, he became butler to consider his third wish and ensure Nimrod does not trick him. He uses his third wish to help locate a trapped Nimrod.